Gosei Sentai Dairanger (五星戦隊ダイレンジャー) is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the seventeenth production in the long-running Super Sentai metaseries of television tokusatsu dramas produced by Toei Company, following Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It was originally broadcast from February 19, 1993, to February 11, 1994, replacing Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger and was replaced by Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. Toei gave this series the name Star Rangers for international distribution. In July 2015, Shout! Factory announced that they would release "Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Complete Series" on DVD in North America. On November 10, 2015, Dairanger was released on DVD in North America. This is the second Super Sentai series to be released in North America. In addition on May 23, 2016, Shout! streamed the series on their website.

Story

Eight thousand years ago, the Daos Empire (ダオス帝国), also known as the Daos Civilization (ダオス文明), flourished in Southern China. The empire consisted of three separate tribes: the Dai, the Shura (シュラ) (the ancestors of today's humanity) and the Gorma (the military tribe); which lived in harmony. However, one day, the Gorma Tribe decided to take over the Daos Empire and the world, beginning the war between the Gorma and Dai tribes. The war between the Gorma, led by the Gorma Triumvarate, and the Dai continued for 5,000 years until the Mythical Qi Beasts appeared to oppose the Gorma, whose qi powers had increased to the point that they could turn themselves into monsters. Five Dai warriors' qi powers had increased to the point where they could control the Mythical Qi Beasts. The war ended with the disappearance of both the Dai and Gorma tribes and the Shura scattered around the world. In the present day, the Gorma Tribe, one of the Daos' two missing branches, arose to take over the world. To counter them, Master Kaku assembled a team of five youths with high levels of qi, who became the Dairangers.

Characters

Dairangers

The eponymous Dairangers are human practitioners of Chinese martial arts who possess high levels of qi powers against the Gorma Tribe. As a group, the primary members perform the Qi-Power Bomber (気力ボンバー) finisher by gathering their qi and firing it towards the enemy. After their final battle, the Dairangers separated, with the last scene of the series showing them fifty years in the future in which their grandchildren follow the Dairangers' legacy and fight against the last remnants of the Gorma Tribe.

Ryo

Ryo of the Heavenly Fire Star (天火星・亮) is the team leader who is the son of Choryo and a human woman. Initially, he was completely unaware of his Dai heritage as his mother died prior to the series' beginning leaving him to raise his younger sister, Yōko, by himself. He aspires to become the best gyoza cook in Japan and works in Yokohama Chinatown. Ryo became a Dairanger after he was captured by Baron String, only to be saved by the Mythical Qi Beast RyuseiOh and taken to Master Kaku. Ryo deeply trusts his teammates. As the red-colored Ryu Ranger (リュウレンジャー), he specializes in the Dragon Fist style and uses the powers of fire and thunder.

Daigo

Daigo of the Heavenly Illusion Star (天幻星・大五) is the second-in-command who is the gentlest and most serious member of the team. He works at a pet shop and becomes romantically involved with Kujaku. Daigo was recruited as a Dairanger after Kaku discovered his qi connection with Kujaku. As the green-colored Shishi Ranger (シシレンジャー), he specializes in the Hung Ga style and uses illusions in combat.

Shoji

Shoji of the Heavenly Gravity Star (天重星・将児) is a former delinquent who dreams of becoming a world boxing champion after reforming from his past as a member of a violent street gang. He has a strong sense of fair play and competitiveness, only applicable with Kazu. He is strong, balanced, playful and loving. Boss Kamikaze, of the Three Gorma Stooges, sees him as his greatest rival. As the blue-colored Tenma Ranger (テンマレンジャー), he specializes in the Long Fist style with the power to manipulate the gravitational forces around him, thus increasing his strength and speed. Shoji appeared in the final episode of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, receiving his powers back in the form of the Tenma Ranger Key as the Gokaigers left Earth.

Kazu

Kazu of the Heavenly Time Star (天時星・知) is a stylish beautician and dancer. He left home at the age of 15 and traveled to Tokyo. He has a tendency to go rushing into battle without thinking. He helped an old lady who sheltered him when he ran away from his home. As the yellow-colored Kirin Ranger (キリンレンジャー), he specializes in the Drunken Fist style and has the ability to freeze and reverse the flow of time to prevent mishaps. Kazu appeared in the final episode of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, receiving his powers back in the form of the Kirin Ranger Key as the Gokaigers left Earth.

Rin

Rin of the Heavenly Wind Star (天風星・リン) is Master Kaku's niece and the only member of the team capable of qi control when not transformed. She came to Japan to be a Dairanger in the guise of an exchange student from China. She hates living with Kou, as he tends to dab in front of her, but later befriends him. She once fell in love with photographer Shōichiro Takamura, the alter ego of Gorma agent Media Magician (メディア魔術師). As the pink-colored Houou Ranger (ホウオウレンジャー), she specializes in the Eagle Fist style and uses the power of wind.

Kou

Kou of the Howling New Star (吼新星・コウ) is a 10-year-old boy who is the "Child of Fate" for drawing the sentient Byakko Shinken (白虎真剣) from his resting place, becoming the adult-like, white-colored Kiba Ranger (キバレンジャー). He lived with his adoptive grandparents prior to moving into Rin's apartment. A somewhat perverted boy, he is infatuated with Rin and "playfully" harasses her much to her chagrin. New to fighting, he is not particularly strong. Kou initially kept his identity a secret from the other Dairangers, with Byakko Shinken speaking in his stead to appear more grown up. After the other Dairangers learned of his identity, he began to speak on his own and joined the team. Shadam eventually learned Kou was his son and Akomaru's twin brother, although Kou himself was never aware of this. As a result of this knowledge, Shadam tried to recruit Kou into the Gorma on his tenth birthday, but his mother's baptism purified him of his Gorma lineage. As Kiba Ranger, Kou specializes in sound-based attacks.

Mythical Qi Beasts

The Mythical Qi Beasts (気伝獣) are giant mechanical life forms that are summoned via the powers of Heavenly Treasure Lai-Lai Jewels (天宝来来の玉).

Allies

Kaku

Originally a member of Gorma, Chief of Staff Kaku (嘉挧参謀長) formed the Dairangers to oppose Gorma; his human alias is Master Kaku (道士 嘉挧). But when Daizinryu returned to Earth, Kaku returned to the Gorma in his metallic red Cyclops-like armor and fought Shadam for the right to the throne to become the 16th Gorma Emperor and end the fighting, using the Tower of You-Power (妖力の塔) and the Tower of Qi-Power (気力の塔) as boosters. Once Gara and Zydos destroyed the towers, Kaku was defeated and mortally wounded in the battle against Shadam, and later died in the arms of the Dairangers. He later appeared in spirit form to the Dairangers and told them that Gorma must be thwarted rather than be destroyed.

Choryo

Iron Face Choryo (鉄面臂 張遼) was the previous Ryu Ranger who joined the Gorma and became immortal as a result. 20 years prior to the events of the series, he fell in love with a human who gave birth to his son Ryo and daughter Yoko (洋子). After Yoko was born, Choryo was summoned back to the Gorma by his master, Archbishop Riju, to fight the Dairangers after the Triumvirate failed to do so, but stopped upon hearing his son is the new Ryu Ranger. Choryo eventually saw the error of his ways and turned on his master. During the ensuing fight, he received a fatal blow and collapsed. Dying in Ryo's arms, the four spirits of the other original Dairangers appeared to Choryo to tell him they forgave him. He then passed on the knowledge of DairenOh to the new Dairangers before he died. Choryo is portrayed by Go Ibuki (伊吹 剛).

Kujaku

Kujaku (クジャク) is a follower of Mahamayuri Vidyaraja, the Peacock Wisdom Queen and a master of kenpo. A member of the Dai Tribe (ダイ族), she became the Peacock Wisdom Queen's follower to restore Gara by finding the Sacred Peacock's Tears (聖なる孔雀の涙), an ancient artifact said to heal whoever drinks from it. Gara joined the Gorma and through deception, trapped Kujaku in Mirror Make-Up Artist, causing Kujaku to swore revenge, resulting in her losing her compassion and love during her 6,000 years of imprisonment. Kujaku was freed by Daigo and attempted to murder Gara in revenge for her imprisonment until Daigo's perseverance and a little girl's kindness caused her to have a change of heart. Kujaku then resumed looking for the Sacred Peacock's Tears, realizing that she was dying from the Earth's pollutants and evil. Unfortunately, Kujaku realized that she would sicken and die even if she drank the Sacred Peacock's Tears, causing her to use the artifact to restore Gara's beauty instead. Kujaku then died with the real Gara at her side. Kujaku would later reappear in spirit form to restore Daigo's faith and plead with him not to take revenge.

Guhon

Grandmaster Guhon (老道士 虞翻) is Rin's great-granduncle and Kaku's mentor, who tends to be bizarre at times and often cracks his neck. Despite his appearance, Guhon was the inventor of the Aura Changers and later provided the Dairangers with their Dairinken (大輪剣) blades and the Super Qi-Power Bazooka (スーパー気力バズーカ). Prior to the Kabuki Boy incident, Guhon entrusted his fiancé Shokyo with Byakko Shinken which he placed within a stone until the rightful owner (Kou) could claim the weapon. Guhon later revealed to Kameo his true identity as Daimugen.

Shokyo

Shokyo (小喬) is Guhon's 29-year-old fiancé, a Chinese Opera writer whom he entrusted with Byakko Shinken. Her profession caught the eye of Kabuki Boy, who abducted her, although Guhon won her back. After returning Byakko Shinken to Guhon, Shokyo marries him as she returns to China. Shokyo is portrayed by Aki Miyase (宮瀬 亜希).

Kou's mother

Kou's mother is married to Shadam and is a member of the Dai Tribe. She possessed a strong qi. She placed a tiger tattoo on Kou at birth to suppress his Gorma-inherited powers and had him adopted after his birth to prevent the Gorma from tracking him down. Kou's mother was taken captive by an elderly Gorma and Akōmaru. She escaped when Shadam broke into her prison to discover the source of Akōmaru's information. She later used Byakoshinken to save a wounded Kou and to purge the Gorma powers from him. She died in a cave collapse along with Akōmaru.

The Gorma Tribe

The Gorma Tribe (ゴーマ族) are the antagonists of the series. Eight thousand years ago they were the military of the three tribes but decided to take the world for themselves and destroy the other two. The Gorma are humans who have mastered You-Power (妖力) and gained the ability to become monsters. Their leader is the Gorma Emperor with many other divisions under him. However, it was revealed that most of the higher aristocracy had been killed centuries before the series even began. It was thought that Shadam had secretly made clay versions of them all in a bid to be emperor himself. However, as he himself turned out to be clay, it's debatable who created the clay copies. While the You Power the Gorma uses gives them great power, it also has damaged their mental stability, as the most powerful Gorma are almost completely insane as seen with the Gorma Emperor and those before him due to the Earth Shaking Jewel (大地動転の玉)

Gorma XV

Gorma XV (ゴーマ十五世) is the fifteenth Emperor of Gorma who mysteriously resurfaced to reopen the Gorma Palace (ゴーマ宮) with intent to restore his crumbling empire to its former glory. He is an extremely powerful entity, though a bit insane. The insanity was an inherent aspect of all the Gorma's past fourteen emperors due to the power of the Earth Shaking Jewel which supplies the Emperor with an unlimited supply of "You Power" for him to live, though only few actually know the truth. The Emperor was more of a sadistic, heartless creature with a "playful" outlook on things. However, the Emperor got more serious when he saw Shadam's intention to overthrow him. He was hoping for Shadam to fall to their enemies so he can rule the world forever. But when Shadam became next in line and demanded the Earth Shaking Jewel, the Emperor refuses and attempts to use the jewel to kill Shadam himself. However, The Emperor's own conceit was a flaw as Shadam revealed he recreated the Emperor from clay, only letting him live until Shadam became Emperor himself and Gorma's official leader. With that revelation, Shadam managed to steal the Earth Shaking Jewel while the former Emperor is reduced to clay dust.

Gorma Triumvirate

The Gorma Triumvirate (ゴーマ3幹部), who are part of the Military Level (Kaku also belongs to this level), help spear head the Gorma's attack on humans. In episode 30, they get to wield the spiritual powers of Hell.

Shadam

Commander Shadam (シャダム中佐) is the leader of the Gorma Triumvirate and the real father of Akomaru and Kou. He was also the one who spearheaded the Gorma attack against the Dai Tribe in China. He hates humans for their weaknesses and can assume a fighting form, with a mask that practically covers his face. Shadam's motivation in Gorma was to reach higher rankings until he became the 16th Gorma Emperor, deposing the competition in any way possible. He eventually realized his dream and the power of the Gorma Emperor once he defeated Kaku and disposed the previous once he is resurrected so he can become his successor. As Gorma XVI (ゴーマ十六世), he intended to use the Earth Shaking Jewel to take over the world despite suffering its mind-warping effects, fighting the Dairangers. But when Daizinryu appears, the Earth Shaking Jewel left Shadam to appease Daizinryu's wrath. A maddened Shadam attempted to escape, only to be encountered by Ryo in a one-way knife duel between them. Shadam lost and died on his own knife, revealing that he was actually a clay figure made long ago. As his body crumbled to dust, only an electricity-vibrating human eyeball remained among the pile of dirt. Shadam was revealed to have been responsible for making clay copies of the Gorma higher ranks, as most of them died years ago but since Shadam too was a clay copy, it is not known what happened to the real Shadam and who created the copies.

Gara

Commander Gara (ガラ中佐) is the female member of the Gorma Triumvirate, though she was actually a clay copy of the original Gara and a former member of the Dai Tribe who joined Gorma at age 10 when she believed that her friend Kujaku abandoned her after she was scarred in the face while protecting her, getting revenge with Mirror-Makeup Artist's aid. When Gara died soon after, Shadam created the one that the Dairangers would face in the present time, identical to the original in every way. She created a copy of herself called Wraith Gara (生き霊ガラ) for a short time by dripping her own blood onto a small doll made of straw. During the final battle, Gara learned the truth of her existence as the "Real Gara" appeared and used her power to reduce Gara into dust.

Zydos

Lieutenant Commander Zydos (ザイドス少佐) is the strongman, brutal and prone to deep thinking. He was a key player amongst the Gorma because of his power and he could create extremely dangerous new Gorma like Jin. He believed utterly in Shadam as his leader, but was also prone to doing his own things. He has trouble controlling the 3 Gorma Idiots as they tend to botch the plans due to their competitive nature. He was nearly killed by Jukou Kiden, but he survived. During the match between Shadam and Kaku, Zydos was sent to destroy the power booster Kaku intended to use in the match. Though he barely survived Jukou Kiden for the second time, Zydos died when he turned into his true form: a clay figure created by Shadam as he remembered him.

Senate Level

The highest level next to the Emperor. The following belong to this level

Archbishop Saw

The Archbishop Riju/Archbishop Saw (大僧正リジュ/ノコギリ大僧正) was an insane saw-themed Gorma of higher rank than the Gorma Triumvirate, and Choryo's master. After his pupil failed to kill the Dairangers, Riju took matters to his own hands. He would have succeeded had Choryo not attacked him when he was attacking Ryo. First to be killed by DairenOh.

General Denpou

General Denpou (田豊将軍) is second-in-command to the Emperor and Akomaru's teacher/guardian. He was killed by Shadam when Denpou saw what he was doing to a resting Gorma XV and noticed the clay hand that exposed the Emperor as a clay copy.

Akomaru

Akomaru (阿古丸) is a Gorma child who is the son of Shadam, though the two despise each other fiercely. Shadam apparently had Akomaru put up for adoption when he was born, and was now under General Denpou's wing. In fact, Akomaru is ranked higher than his father. He wants to replace his father as the Gorma military leader. He first appears to take the power of the Kiba Ranger, knowing Kou has it and aware of their relation and wanted Kou to fight by his side as brothers. Unfortunately, Akomaru saw that Kou seemed unable to hate and it annoyed him. Akomaru was killed when he was crushed by a boulder, with Kou at his side. Later the Gorma Emperor brought Akomaru back from Hell prior to his tenth birthday, when he, after having absorbed Hell's Spirit Power which made him more powerful, and Kou came into their adult power as Gorma, Akomaru using his powers to manipulate Kou in his dreams. Akomaru was made to believe that his mother abandoned him to a father who never cared about him. After losing Kou's mother to the Dairanger, Gorma XV banished Akomaru from the Gorma. Akomaru gave the Dairangers quite a battle when he rode atop his bodyguard Ikazuchi, via "You-Power Fusion". After Ikazuchi died, Akomaru learned the truth that his mother abandoned him because of a taboo that one twin must be killed so the other can have the power of both. So their mother decided to save them, with Akomaru to live as a Gorma and Kou as a normal human. But Akomaru was soon mortally injured by Shadam, limping into the cave collapsing on itself and dying in the embrace of his dying mother with the knowledge that he was loved.

Three Court Ladies of Hell

The Three Court Ladies of Hell (地獄の三人官女) are three sisters who served as Akomaru's bodyguards/nannies, mistress of the 3-as-1 fighting style. They were sent to try to prevent Kiba Ranger being born and later to track him down as part of Akomaru's scheme of drafting him.

Gorma Four Heavenly Kings

The Gorma Four Heavenly Kings (ゴーマ四天王) are the most favored of the Gorma Emperor's minions; East Heaven (東方天), South Heaven (南方天), West Heaven (西方天), and North Heaven (北方天); wearing the attire of Buddhist Priests and being masters of displacement. They attempted to use their illusions to trap the Dairangers with key figures (Kujaku, Jin, Three Gorma Stooges, and Akomaru) individually. Their teamwork skills were their greatest power, as they could merge into one deadly four-headed Deva entity called Combined Four Heavenly Kings (合体四天王). They survived the attack of Kibadaioh twice, but were soon the first to be killed by Jukou Kiden. East Heaven, South Heaven, West Heaven, and North Heaven are portrayed by Yoshinori Okamoto (岡本 美登), Hideaki Kusaka (日下 秀昭), Daigaku Sekine (関根 大学), and Kiyokazu Inoue (井上 清和), respectively.

Thunderbolt

Ikazuchi (イカヅチ) is Akomaru's insectoid bodyguard, this monster fought the Kiba Ranger-less Dairangers. He obtained his name from the fact that he can fire lightning from parts of his body, powerful enough to attract Daizinryu and the Gorma-infested Kiba Ranger's attention. He was winning until Kiba Ranger was purified and rejoined the team, thus killing Ikazuchi with Jukou Kiden.

Imperial Guard

In episode 49, the armors of Kaku and Shiryu are brought to life and are metal-colored by Shadam who sends them against the Dairangers. They are defeated by Shoji, Kazu, and Ryo and disappear.

Three Gorma Stooges

The Three Gorma Stooges (ゴーマ3ちゃんズ) are three Gorma in the service of Zydos, though their foolishness deemed them at lower ranks; they all have a sense of competition and honor. Furthermore, to make them less respectable, none of them can assume human form like their fellow Gorma. They were beaten by RyuseiOh the first time and Kibadaioh the second time. Though they survived both fights, the trio ended up being bandaged up. Over the course of the series, they would gain respect for the Dairangers (and vice versa); specifically for Shoji, who was seen as the most competitive of the Dairangers. After all that happened to them, they managed to survive the entire series after being blown up various times. Deep down, they never wanted to kill the Dairangers, just defeat them in contests and sports. They would finally settle things with the Dairangers in a bike race, though they made their peace with the Dairangers using the minefield Zydos placed on the finish line to fake their deaths. The trio later returned to help Shoji.

Gorma Minions

The Gorma Minions are the monsters that are used by the Gorma Tribe.

Zydos' Gorma Minions

Besides the There Gorma Stooges, the following Gorma Minions work for Zydos:

Gara's Gorma Minions

The following Gorma Minions work for Gara:

Shadam's Gorma Minions

The following Gorma Minions work for Shadam:

Other Gorma Minions

The following do not work for any of the above:

Jin Matoba

Jin Matoba (的場 陣) is a master of dark karate known as Panther Fang Style Wicked Heart Fist (豹牙流邪心拳) and all manner of martial arts, and was a gentleman assassin. His favorite targets were martial arts masters, as his own master cut off his left arm. Jin got a prosthesis, perfected his arts and went on a campaign to slaughter other masters who were too hard on their students to return and kill his first teacher. His trademark was to flip a coin into the air and kill his opponent before it landed. But the man foiled that plan by dying before Jin got around to it. But that all changed the day he met Ryo and was defeated by him. Later, Jin sold his soul to Zydos to become stronger than Ryo, becoming Demon-Fist Master Jin (魔拳士ジン) after punching Aki (亜紀), a young nurse who was the only person who cared for him. But Jin refused to be Gorma's lapdog and perfected his new-found powers on his own, after which he went hunting for Ryo. But Zydos captured the rogue and infused him with more Gorma power, turning him into Garouki (餓狼鬼). Unlike the normally born Gorma, Jin's transformation was against his will and thus he was unable to control himself as Garouki. As Garouki, Jin is like a totally obedient dog for Zydos with a desire to kill and eat his victims. Jin was soon freed of his "Gorma-incarnation" thanks to Ryo's attack separating the monster from his body. While Jin fought Zydos, with Garouki destroyed by the Qi-Power Bazooka, he was mortally wounded. After one final bout with Ryo, Jin went on the run from the Gorma. Jin was last seen fighting the bulk of an entire army of Cotpotros led by Zydos, only to be seemingly gunned down by the second wave. But Jin later appeared to Ryo and proceeded to beat sense into him for not giving up despite no longer being a Dairanger.

Cotpotros

The Cotpotros (コットポトロ) are bartender-themed Gorma grunts in black tuxedo tights with lipped but otherwise blank black and white faces. They would disguise as humans and serve virtually any Gorma, including the Three Gorma Stooges, serving as players in their various games. In the finale, the Dairangers faced red-dressed Cotpotros in the palace. The group were later summoned by Zaigan during Super Sentai World.

Daizinryu

Daizinryu (大神龍) is a colossal god-like entity who preserves the natural balance of the world, referred to as the "Great King of Fear that will destroy the Earth" by Kameo/Daimugen. He appears whenever battles have gone too far, like the ones between the Dairangers and the Gorma. Daizinryu is a neutral being, but has no tolerance for whoever threatens to disrupt the natural order of things. Daizinryu arrived on the planet in Rising Dragon Mode (昇竜モード), only to transform into the bipedal Dragon God Mode (竜神モード), his feet as big as Daimugen's shell. He is also capable of firing lightning bolts with immense destructive power. During his first appearance, he attacks Great Famous Pachinko Player (パチンコ大名人) and RyuseiOh. The universe's will that he obeyed told him that the two warring factions had to agree a cease-fire, so Daizinryu would spare the lives of everyone on Earth and the planet itself, but he gave a warning to both the Dairangers and the Gorma not to incur his wrath by destroying most of Tokyo. The annoyed dragon crushed the monster to death under his massive foot, then turned and disassembled DairenOh with a lightning bolt. He then attempted to crush RyuseiOh (the only Mythical Qi Beast left standing). RyuseiOh was saved by Daimugen, who hid RyuseiOh inside of his shell, but was nearly crushed by Daizinryu. Daizinryu let them live because of the universe's will and the truce between the Dairangers and the Gorma. When the Dairangers dealt with Ikazuchi, Daizinryu seemingly put many civilians in Tokyo under his control, lining them up on top of buildings to fall to their deaths, before Kaku counter-acted the spell. Daizinryu made his final appearance to destroy the Gorma Palace, seeing that Shadam and the Gorma were the cause of all the trouble. To calm him down, the Lailai Balls and the Great Earth Shaking Jewel scattered to the four winds on their own will.

Episodes

Movie

The film version of Gosei Sentai Dairanger premiered in Japan on April 17, 1993, at Toei Super Hero Fair '93. Directed by Shōhei Tōjō and written by Noboru Sugimura, the movie was originally shown as a triple feature alongside Kamen Rider ZO and the film version of Tokusou Robo Janperson. The main villain of the film is an original monster, named the Duke Trump (トランプ公爵), who gathers four of the Dairangers' previous adversaries to defeat them. While the movie was filmed between episodes 5–8, its story actually takes place between episodes 8 and 9 due to the appearance of DairenOh. Shōhei Shibata, the young actor who played Hiroshi Mochizuki in ZO later joined the cast of Dairanger as Akomaru, son of the main villain Shadam.

30th Anniversary film

Cast

Voice actors

Guest actors

Songs

International broadcast and home video